16 June 2026
Hazardous and persistent chemical flame retardants have been found most English rivers, and at unsafe levels in all wildlife samples analysed, according to new analysis of Environment Agency and water industry data by The Rivers Trust and Wildlife and Countryside Link.
Chemical flame retardants (CFRs) are added to products such as sofas, headboards, and mattresses to slow down the spread of fire. But their fire-safety benefits are increasingly questioned, and many persist in the environment long after use, harming wildlife and people. Some CFRs are also linked to cancer, fertility problems, developmental harm, and brain development problems in people.
The UK accounts for a staggering 25% of global CFR use, yet it remains behind the EU and other countries in regulating these hazardous chemicals.
The findings show widespread contamination across rivers, fish, and sewage sludge spread on farmland:
- PBDE (Polybrominated diphenyl ethers) flame retardants were banned in 2004 but have been found in unsafe levels in freshwater and marine fish at every site tested. They were also detected, at variable levels, in sewage sludge, raising concerns about contamination of soils and crops.
- DBDPE (Decabromo-diphenyl ethane), a chemical which replaced a banned PBDE and is widely used in UK furniture, was detected in almost all those river sites sampled in 2021. At over 50% of these sites, it was found above safe levels, in some cases by more than ten times.
- Major monitoring gaps may be masking the true scale of pollution. Only two banned CFRs have regulatory standards in water, and there is no routine monitoring of CFRs in river or coastal sediments, where many of these chemicals accumulate. For example, levels of the banned flame retardant HBCDD in rivers have fallen since regulation was introduced, but its low solubility means it is likely to persist in sediments. Without monitoring, the environmental risks from these long-term pollution stores remain unknown.
These findings show the presence of persistent chemicals that continue to pollute waterways and build up in aquatic life long after they’ve been banned, and in concentrations that exceed safe limits. They also raise concern about human exposure through contaminated fish, crops, livestock, and household dust. Campaigners warn the UK is trapped in a “chemical whack-a-mole”, where one banned substance is replaced with a similar chemical that may be just as harmful before the risks are fully understood.
Richard Benwell, CEO of Wildlife and Countryside Link, said:
“These findings should ring alarm bells. Decades after some of these chemicals were banned, they’re still found in rivers and building up in wildlife across the country. That’s a stark warning about the long-term damage caused by persistent pollutants, and the importance of preventative action to control them at source.
“Since Brexit, the UK has fallen behind the rest of Europe in restricting toxic chemicals. The Government now has a once-in-a-generation chance, through the new Clean Water Bill, to get a grip on chemical pollution, make polluters pay for tougher wastewater treatment, and bring the UK up to the highest international standards.”
The UK has some of highest levels of flame retardants in its environment, wildlife and homes, and is estimated to use a staggering 1.8x the rest of Europe combined. Environmental groups say that the exceptionally high UK use and emissions is partly driven by outdated furniture flammability rules, used only by the UK and Ireland. The UK Government has recently opened a consultation on changing this rule, but it is lagging behind EU regulatory protections for reducing emissions and requirements for removing chemicals from wastewater.
Dr Rob Collins, Director of Policy and Science at The Rivers Trust, said: “The widespread presence and persistence of chemical flame retardants in rivers serves as a critical warning for the health of our freshwater ecosystems and raises implications for human health too. Their presence contributes to the cocktail of chemicals that we find, and greater resources are urgently needed to improve the monitoring of these and other toxic chemicals, not only in rivers but across the wider environment.
Dr Joanna Cloy, Senior Project Manager at Fidra, said: “We urge the UK Government to address the growing challenges associated with POPs that contaminate the environment and waste materials. Future measures such as restricting the use of persistent chemicals, preventing regrettable substitution, introducing extended producer responsibility initiatives, and enforcing chemical labelling for products such as furniture are essential. Updating the UK’s current furniture fire safety regulations to reduce reliance on chemical flame retardants and enforce chemical transparency are achievable goals that will enhance environmental protection and alleviate the resource and financial burdens on local authorities managing our POPs waste”.
Jamie Page, Chief Executive of the Cancer Prevention & Education Society, said: “The longer hazardous and persistent chemicals are used, the longer they will be found in people, animals, fish and the environment. That is why regulatory divergence from the EU is of great concern, and there is real urgency to correct this.”
The environmental charities are calling for tighter controls on flame retardants and urgent investment in wastewater treatment upgrades to remove chemical pollutants before they are discharged to rivers. The upgrades must also be funded by the polluters, not by the public.
ENDS
Contact: Freya Johns, media manager – freya@wcl.org.uk | +44 75106 02732
Editor's notes:
Rivers Trust and WCL analysis of EA and Water Industry (Chemicals Investigation Programme) data found:
PBDEs (Polybrominated diphenyl ethers):
- Above the Environmental Quality Standard in freshwater and marine fish in 100% of cases
- In sewage sludge that is subsequently applied to agricultural land, whereby its presence could harm terrestrial ecosystems and contaminate crops.
DBDPE (Decabromo-diphenyl ethane), a flame retardant widely used in UK sofas, which is used as a replacement for the banned PBDE, Deca BDE, and is targeted for restriction in the EU was found:
- In 93% of 42 river sites tested in 2021
- In concentrations which exceeded the lowest available (i.e., worst case) PNEC (Predicted No Effect Concentration) in 57% of riverine sites in 2021, i.e., often at levels posing a potential risk to aquatic life
HBCDD (hexabromocyclododecane), although banned internationally in 2013, was still occasionally found to exceed the water column Environmental Quality Standard in 2019, but with only one exceedance since then. Median concentrations of HBCDD were also found above the limit of detection in sewage sludge in 3 out of 11 wastewater treatment plants tested.
Note:
- In this analysis, we define unsafe levels of flame retardants as concentrations that exceed Environmental Quality Standards (EQS) for biota (fish) or the water column. EQS are defined as “the concentration of a particular pollutant or group of pollutants in water, sediment or biota which should not be exceeded in order to protect human health and the environment”.
- EQSs set for water and fish are not the same as those regulatory limits set to protect human health via food consumption. However, scientific studies have found that fish and seafood contaminated with high levels of flame retardants are a key route of human exposure and linked to adverse health effects. While ingestion or contact with indoor dust containing CFRs is a major route of human exposure, food is also an important exposure pathway, and there’s growing evidence that sludge is a key pathway for these chemicals entering the food chain.
Health impacts: Flame retardants are a diverse group of chemicals, the most commonly used are brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs). Hundreds of studies have reported the exposure and harmful effects including developmental, behavioural, reproductive health and neurotoxic effects. Some flame retardants are reported to be carcinogenic, and others show DNA damage. Studies have also reported detrimental organ, cell and immune effects and increased obesity and diabetes risks. Scientific literature also suggests the substances that Organophosphate Ester Flame Retardants, that were hailed as viable alternatives to PBDEs (Polybrominated diphenyl ethers) are equally harmful.
Harms to wildlife: Green Science Policy Institute provides a map illustrating scientific studies showing species of wildlife contaminated with flame retardants around the world and examples of some of negative health impacts from decreased egg formation in zebrafish to negative impacts on the reproductive and immune systems in killer whales.
Monitoring of CFRs: Some of the CFRs which are not monitored as priority substances with associated EQSs in water include melamine, brominated organics (DBDPE, TBBPA, TBPH) and some of the organophosphates (TCPP, TPP, TMPP, TDCPP).
Recent studies have questioned the effectiveness of CFRs in reducing fire-related deaths. For example, there’s evidence that flame retardants can increase smoke toxicity and toxic smoke inhalation can increase the likelihood of deaths during house fires.
UK exceptionality in its use of flame retardants:
UK/EU divergence
The following flame retardants have been identified as and added to the EU’s Substances of Very High Concern list since GB exited EU system (no substances have yet been added to GB list):
- Decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE), 5 Nov 2025
- Triphenyl phosphate (TPhP), 7 Nov 2024
- Melamine, 17 Jan 2023
- Bis ethylhexyltetrabromophalate (BEH-TBPH), 17 Jan 2023
- TBBPA (aka 2,2',6,6'-tetrabromo-4,4'-isopropylidenediphenol), 17 Jan 2023
- 1,2-bis(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy)ethane (BTBPE) 17 Jan 2023
- Medium-chain chlorinated paraffins (MCCP), 18 Jul 2021
- TBNPA (reactive flame retardant for PU foam), 8 Jul 2021
The European Chemicals Agency has initiated a restriction on non-polymeric aromatic brominated flame retardants, including DBDPE, and is considering a "dynamic link" with those classified as Persistent, Bioaccumulative and Toxic in future. It is also investigating organophosphorus and other flame retardants identified as potential alternatives to non-polymeric ABFRs in future.
